Reacquaint yourself with Sly’s trusty sidekicks Bentley the hippo and Murray the turtle in their most exciting escapade yet.

Play the whole game in vivid, stereoscopic 3D.

Throwing the book at history

Life was pretty good for art thief extraordinaire Sly Cooper. Relaxing with the proceeds of his daring heists, he’d even sparked up a relationship with his old foe, Carmelita Fox. But in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, he notices the pages of his priceless family heirloom, the Thievius Raccoonus, disappearing before his eyes. It’s time to get the old gang back together.

Someone is erasing Sly’s ancestors from history, and with them his family’s closely guarded sneaking secrets. There’s only one thing for it: using a specially built time machine, Sly and his crew rocket back through the ages in a bid to uncover the dastardly page pilferer.

The Wild West, medieval England and feudal Japan are some of the stops on a high-stakes chase through time. There you’ll meet the Coopers who contributed to the greatest burglary bible in the world, including ninja sushi chef Rioichi Cooper, the outlaw Tennessee Kid Cooper and the gallant Knights of the Cooper Order.

There’s a secret weapon in the fight for the Cooper legacy, too: when you pick up the game on PlayStation 3, you can download the PlayStation Vita version at no extra cost – so you can thieve through time, any time.

A crime and a place

Spend just a few moments in Sly Cooper’s world and you’ll see exactly why he finds a life of international art theft so exciting. The light-fingered raccoon never stands still – with his entire family tree in danger of being uprooted, he can’t afford to – and that means taking in some of the most colourful destinations ever seen on PlayStation.

Bustling Paris is a favourite stamping ground for Sly, and as he scampers across its rooftops, the city serves as an atmospheric prologue as well as an introduction to his abilities. From there it’s on to the first stop on the Cooper timeline, ancient Japan – complete with traditional wooden architecture and less well-known crocodile samurai guards – before criss-crossing the globe.

Retreat to Sly’s hideout between jobs to assign missions to loyal sidekicks Bentley and Murray, replay previous chapters or simply take a breather from zipping through time by gazing at the relics and artefacts you’ve collected so far. You can also stock up on vital thieving tools by accessing ThiefNet. Bentley’s Arcade, meanwhile, features retro mini-games – if you like these, check out Bentley’s Hackpack on our online store.

The Time Team

Every master thief needs a crew he can rely on, and Sly Cooper has carried off the heists of the century with the perfect blend of brains and brawn. Here’s who you’ll call upon to bamboozle security systems throughout the ages.

Sly Cooper: Whether he’s darting between laser tripwires or trying to impress romantic interest Carmelita Fox, Sly remains unflappable under pressure. His special Thief Sense lets him spot ledges and other objects so he can creep around without attracting attention.

Bentley: Occasionally a security system proves a match even for Sly. That’s where Bentley, the brains of the gang, comes in. You’ll use his clever ThiefNet system to hack into defences via special mini-games, and his sticky bombs when a more direct approach is needed.

Murray: When might is right, this big-hearted hippo uses his size and strength to bash his way through defences. He can pick up objects to hurl them at switches or toss enemies out of the way, and his dive attack ensures he leaves a deep impression wherever he goes.

A clan needs a plan

Every successful thief needs to tiptoe carefully, and playing as Sly you have lighter feet – and fingers – than anyone. Venturing out of your hideout into a new time period, you’ll see a world chock-full of collectibles, patrolled by alert guards and packed with acrobatic possibilities.

Each mission is split into several jobs, which build up to an unforgettable encounter with a boss determined to send you the same way as your ancestors. Once you’ve defeated it and rescued your grateful relative, you can revisit an area to relieve it of its treasures.

Think of each level as your own playground, full of goodies, where the biggest puzzle you’ll face is how to scale impossible looking heights to reach the rarest bounty. As you delve deeper into Sly’s family history, you’ll unlock items and costumes that make it easier to access hidden areas in previous chapters.

For a helping hand, use your PlayStation Vita system as a handheld treasure scanner thanks to the Cross-Play feature. If you own the game on both PS3 and PS Vita and the two systems are connected to the same wireless network, you can reveal hidden objects and clue bottles by pointing the rear camera of your PS Vita system at the TV screen.